The Wente Family Celebrates the Fourth Annual Wente Family Estates Legacy Awards
6 March, 2012
Livermore, CA, – The Wente Family is proud to announce the winners of the Fourth Annual Wente Family Estates Legacy Awards, held on March 5-6, 2012 at The Restaurant at Wente Vineyards. The two-day event commenced with the highly anticipated Legacy Awards Dinner, followed by the Legacy Awards Pro-Am at The Course at Wente Vineyards, and Distributor Council meeting to discuss goals and the outlook for 2012 and beyond.
The awards are categorized based on distributor size, with the Platinum Tier selling the highest quantity of more than 100,000 cases. This year’s distributor winner in the Platinum Tier category is: Southern Wine & Spirits of California. Tier One awards were awarded to Classic Wine Imports of Massachusetts, Glazer’s Distributors of Texas and Lauber Selections of New Jersey. Tier Two distributors were New England Wine & Spirits Inc. of Connecticut, Glazer’s Distributing of Missouri and Capitol-Husting Company Inc. of Wisconsin. The Tier Three distributors recognized included g. housen in Vermont, Glazer’s of Indiana and Lipman Brothers of Tennessee.
Equally notable were awards given in the importers category, where International Cellars of Canada, Amrbos Inc. of Guam and West Indies Corporation of the Virgin Islands won awards for Most Successful Growth of the Wente Family Estates’ wine portfolio.
Lastly, Special Recognition Awards were presented to distributors that showcased outstanding sales performance for brands within the Wente Family Estates portfolio. The distributors that received the various Special Recognition Awards included: Southern Wine & Spirits of Maryland for Outstanding New Distributor, Glazer’s Distributors of Texas for Outstanding Portfolio Performance for Wente Family Estates, Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida for Outstanding Brand Launch for entwine, New England Wine & Spirits Inc. of Connecticut for Outstanding Sales Performance for Murrieta’s Well, g. housen of Vermont for Outstanding Sales Performance for Hayes Ranch, Southern Wine & Spirits of Maryland for Outstanding Sales Performance for TAMÁS Estates and Southern Wine & Spirits of California for Outstanding Sales Performance for Wente Vineyards.
“The Legacy Awards honors top distributors and importers who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in distribution and successful wine portfolio growth. This is a monumental year for the Wente family, as we celebrate our 129th year in business, the 100th anniversary of bringing Chardonnay to California and American Winery of the Year. This event gives us the opportunity to pay tribute to our distributors’ partners, who enable us to continue building upon our success each year,” said Carolyn Wente, CEO of Wente Family Estates.
About Wente Family Estates
Wente Family Estates is comprised of Wente Vineyards, TAMÁS Estates, Murrieta’s Well, entwine and Hayes Ranch wineries; owned and operated by the fourth and fifth generations of the Wente family. Wente Family Estates’ wines are sold in all 50 states and in over 70 countries worldwide. In 2010, the company received certification for its sustainability efforts with the Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing designation. In 2011, Wente Family Estates was awarded American Winery of the Year by Wine Enthusiast. All of the wines within the Wente Family Estates portfolio are handcrafted by Fifth Generation Winemaker Karl D. Wente.
Located just east of San Francisco in the historic Livermore Valley, Wente Family Estates is home to one of California’s premier wine country destinations, featuring wine tasting, world class concerts, fine dining at the award-winning Restaurant at Wente Vineyards, and championship golf at the Greg Norman designed Course at Wente Vineyards. For more information, visit www.wentefamilyestates.com.
Photography from the event is available and for any interviews or media assistance, please contact Skye Morgan at press@charlescomm.com or 415.701.9463.